A boycott by lawyers in Albania is continuing to disrupt court proceedings, with attorneys walking out of hearings and, for the first time, also refusing to participate in security-measure proceedings.

Journalists, meanwhile, continue to attend hearings as members of the public, but say they are being asked to sign forms requiring personal information before entering courtrooms.

The latest hearing to be disrupted was the case against former Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj at Albania’s Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime, known as GJKKO.

The court has taken different approaches to the boycott, with some judges declining to impose fines while others have ordered financial penalties against lawyers who fail to appear.

In the Veliaj case, the court increased the fines imposed on the defense attorneys. All lawyers representing the 11 defendants who are participating in the boycott were fined 50,000 Albanian lek each, compared with 10,000 lek fines imposed at the previous hearing for the same absence.

The head of Albania’s National Chamber of Advocacy, Maks Haxhia, has called on the High Inspectorate of Justice, or ILD, to examine what he described as interference by the court in the legal profession and the media.

Haxhia said the lawyers would continue their position, arguing that the issue concerns fundamental principles governing the legal profession and journalism.

The dispute comes as the courts face questions over how proceedings can continue when defendants’ lawyers refuse to appear.